The Mating Habits of the White Blue-tipped Chocobo
by Wayward Tempest
Summary: It only happens once every three years


_Characters are copyright Squaresoft. _

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She was going to kill him.Ok, so maybe not actually, physically, kill him, but she was certainly going to knock him a good one in the jaw…as soon as she could find him."Irvine!" she yelled. The only reply that came was that of the wind whistling around her. The grass was so deep that it nearly went over her head; she couldn't see a thing, just acres of green. It waved at her, to and fro in the breeze, almost mockingly. She plowed through it as best she could. "Bite bugs thrive in this type of environment," she thought to herself.She imagined herself stumbling on to a nest of them.Hoards of them piercing her skin, sucking the life out of her.She shivered. It had only been a moment.Her attention was drawn away from him for just a moment; as she bent down to tie her shoe. When she stood up, he was gone.The grass was too thick to make out a clear trail, and he wouldn't answer her.He was the one who dragged her all the way out here in the first place, said he had something grand and wonderful to show her.And now he had vanished.She scowled. "Ooh, he's gonna get it.""Forget the jaw," she thought viciously, "I'm gonna knee him right in the…"

"WAH!" she shrieked as something grabbed her from behind wrapping an arm around her mouth, quickly muffling her scream as she squirmed frantically.

"Shhh," Irvine whispered in her ear. "You're going to scare them off."

Selphie looked daggers at him out of the corners of her eyes.He released his grip on her and gave her his most charming smile as an apology.She was quick to respond.

"You jerk!" she hissed as she grabbed his hat and commenced to beat him swiftly about the head with it."You scared the hell outta me!"

"Calm down Selphie!" Irvine was trying his best to fend her off. "I'm sorry.When I turned around you were gone, but I found their tracks and I followed them, and there they were!" He smiled proudly."I couldn't call back to you, because I knew they'd tuck tail and run if they heard me."

She stopped flailing him.

"What?" she questioned heatedly. "What is it that you saw? What did you bring me out here for?So help me, if you brought me out here to see a tribe of wild naked women I'll…"

"Oh come off it," he interrupted."I'm going to show you something that not many people get a chance to see."He took her by the hand. "Now c'mon."

She was in a rather foul mood today so it seemed. He never asked what was wrong, nor did he try to pry it out of her.If it was one of those hormonal girl things or not, he really didn't care to know. But it made the task of getting her to come out here not as easy as he thought it would be when he first looked at the calendar and planned this.However, this was one of those things that couldn't be put off.There is, after all, only a small window of opportunity one can fly through to reach that perfect moment.

Irvine led her through the weeded jungle till they came out into a little clearing on a hill overlooking a valley.He helped her quietly down the hill and into a secluded area behind a bush.He peeped his head over the top of the intertwining branches and looked into the distance. Selphie sat on the ground beside him, rubbing her arms to get that crawly bug feeling that comes from walking through tall grass out of her system.

"Here they come," he whispered excitedly. "Come see."

She brought herself up onto her knees and peered over the bush with him. A low warbling sound followed by a rustling of brush and leaves echoed around them.Out of the forest, a large group of chocobos began to advance into the clearing.Their luminous white plumage shimmered beneath the sun-filled sky as they strutted proudly.They almost seemed metallic.A deep blue highlighted the tips of their wings and tail feathers, and ran across the crests of their heads.They came to a halt when they reached the center of the clearing, and to Selphie's amazement, they formed a straight line.

Her eyes gazed at them with wonder. "What kind of chocobos are these?" she breathed."They're beautiful."

He smiled. "These, Selphie gal, are of the elusive white blue-tipped variety," Irvine replied."They only come out of hiding every three years."

"Why?"

"Mating season," he raised an eyebrow and grinned at her.

"Oh this just figures," she muttered.

"No, no, you don't understand.It's a very sacred and magnificent act," he said. 

"Ok, let me see if I can get this straight," she sighed. "You, in all your most heartfelt intentions, dragged me all the way out here, to watch a chocobo orgy?"Those last few words hissed through her teeth a bit above a whisper.

"Of course not! Would you please just let me finish?"He tried to maintain his calm demeanor. 

"Alright."

"As I was saying, once every three years, when these chocobos reach their age of maturity, they hold a ritual of sorts to determine who they'll be spending the rest of their lives with."

"You mean they spend their entire lives together?" she questioned.

"Yep."

"That's so romantic!" she exclaimed as one of those dreamy smiles spread across her face.

There was the old Selphie peeking through.

"The fellas standing out there are waiting for the ladies.When they show up they're going to offer a gift to the girl of their choice."

"A gift?"

"Uh huh, it's a small rounded green stone, about the size of a half gil coin.Who knows where they find them, but they take a lot of care in sanding and shining them up."He grinned at the full attention he was getting from her.

"How do you know so much about chocobos Irvy?" she asked.

"I worked on a chocobo ranch for a while as part of my training in Galbadia," he replied. "Had to study up on every breed of chocobo there was.I spent most of the time as a tracker, and I tracked these guys once."

A gleam of reminiscence danced in his eyes. "But, I never told anyone…till now." He felt himself getting nervous."Because I wanted to…."

A loud wark broke through their conversation and made both of them jump.Irvine looked out to see the procession of female chocobos making their way onto the playing field.They were slightly smaller in size, but they shared the same radiant colors.

"Looks like the party's starting."

The females walked gracefully through the clearing before taking their positions. They turned as they stepped around the field. It was almost like a ballet.The males looked apprehensive as they stamped their large feet on the ground.Suddenly, the females stopped, then turned to the males and waited expectantly.Selphie watched in fascination as the males twisted their large necks around to their backs, each of them taking their gemstone gently out of their feathers and into their beaks and then began moving forward to the females.

Some acceptances went quickly.The male would lay a stone at the female's feet, she would squawk happily and then they would make their way sprinting through the undergrowth together.Others were more hesitant.A couple that stood a few feet from where Selphie and Irvine were sitting had such a problem.The male was reluctant, almost frightened of what the girl he had his eye on would say to his proposal.He was fearful of being rejected.She seemed to be encouraging him forward though as she warbled softly and pawed the dust beneath her foot.He moved forward cautiously.

"It's Squall and Rinoa," Selphie giggled.

Irvine chuckled.

The wary chocobo dropped the stone and looked up at his counterpart.She warked cheerfully as she spun around and then ran up and nuzzled against his neck feathers.Selphie thought this was the sweetest thing she had ever seen; yet she couldn't help to be transfixed on one of the males amid the procession.He walked confidently amongst the rest, seeming to be searching for someone, his stone held tightly in his beak. Many of the females would advance toward him, flirting and calling out to him.He was polite and charming in his response.He would chirp and make circles around them playfully.However, he would soon strut past them with ease, refusing to give up his stone.

"Now that guy is a player," Irvine said.Apparently, he had spotted the same one.

The game went on for a long while as the two sat and watched.The chocobos left together as quickly as they had arrived apart.And soon, there was only one chocobo that remained.He stood solemnly as the wind seemed to caress his feathers comfortingly.He hung his head and looked at the ground beneath him. His body soon followed suit, as he tucked his legs underneath himself and sat on the ground with a thud.A mournful sound rumbled in his throat.

Selphie's eyes brimmed with tears."Poor guy," she whispered.

"Maybe we'd better start heading back, it's getting dark," Irvine said.He didn't want to see her upset again.

They began to make their way quietly back up the sloped hill, when suddenly something crashing through the brush behind them whirled them both back around.The chocobo jumped to his feet in alarm.Irvine lifted his shotgun and pointed it at the unknown form bounding and tearing through the thicket.Lone chocobos out from the protection of the forests made easy prey for the predators.

"Wait!" Selphie said, laying a hand on his shoulder.

The figure leaped from the bushes, covered in leaves and twigs.She shook them off as she tried to regain her breath.Her hurried fear was realized as she looked around and saw the clearing empty, she was too late.She chirped forlornly as she turned to head back into the seclusion of the forest. 

A pair of footsteps other than her own stopped her in her tracks.She turned to see the other chocobo making his way toward her shyly.He dropped the pebble as he lifted his head toward the sky and warked loudly.He nudged it towards her.She ruffled her feathers in reply and reached down for the stone taking it gently into her beak. She then positioned it carefully in the feathers between her wings.He leapt into the air and ran circles around her.She walked up to him and nuzzled his beak as they turned together and made their way back into the forest completely unaware of the two sets of eyes watching them.

"Irvine, that was wonderful!" Selphie squealed, "Thank you so much!" She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Ow!" she yelped.She let go of him and began rubbing the calf of her leg."You have a bullet in your pocket." She grimaced as she pointed to the pocket of his duster. 

He grinned at her mischievously."That's not a bullet."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"No, its something I wanted to give you."

She looked at him incredulously."No thank you, keep that in your pants."

"Just wait a minute."He dug into his pocket and removed the object. "I," his nerve faltered, "I wanted to give you this."

He opened his hand toward her.In its contents was a rounded green stone as dazzling as any diamond. One of the same stones that the chocobos had carried.It fragmented the light from the sun and sparkled with its own light source.She stared in awe.

He blushed furiously before continuing."I've been meaning to give it to you, but, well," he stammered, "I didn't know when would be the right time.I could never seem to get my courage up."

He motioned for her to hold out her hand.Selphie did so as he let it drop into her palm.She fell to her knees as her eyes held a world of astonishment.

"I've had it for a long time," he continued."It was with me while we were trapped in time compression.I knew I had to get it to you. And then the next thing I knew, there I was, right beside you."He swallowed nervously."I guess I was just caught up in the moment, and I forgot."

She remained silent.

"Its not a binding contract or anything," he continued. "Its just a gift because I wanted you to know that I do love you.And I know I'm a real pain in the ass sometimes.But, I'll be here for as long as you'll have me, and as long as time will allow."

He smiled."Was that cheesy enough for you?"

She withdrew her gaze from the stone and looked at him.Her emerald eyes glistened brightly as she tried to form words that wouldn't come.

"You know," he said. "It really does match your eyes."

A warm smile spread across her features as she stood up to embrace him.

There are some things that not many people get a chance to see.One is the mating ritual that is partaken every three years by the elusive white blue tipped chocobo.Another is seeing Selphie Tilmitt, rendered completely speechless.In the span of just one day, Irvine had seen them both. 


End file.
